Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his in-depth elucidation of the legislation. Albeit that the Bill is technical, it is critically important. I will make a few points specific to the legislation and then I will make general points as it is a Second Stage debate.

The purpose of the Bill is to consolidate in one stand-alone enactment the State's maritime jurisdiction law and to update it to reflect developments in international law since it was introduced in 1959. The current law is set out mainly in part 3 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, with important provisions also in the Continental Shelf Act 1968.

Maritime jurisdiction law establishes the State's different maritime zones and provides a legal basis for delineating their limits and boundaries. The State has different rights and obligations in each of these zones and it may regulate human activities in each zone only to the extent permitted by international law. The Bill will update the State's maritime jurisdiction law to reflect developments in international law and practice, as well as relevant developments in Irish law. A stand-alone maritime jurisdiction Act, which is not primarily concerned with one particular activity at sea, such as fisheries or oil and gas exploration, will make the law in this area more accessible. The Bill will also supplement the forthcoming maritime planning and development management Bill, which will establish a new marine planning system. Together with the recently adopted national marine planning framework, it is part of a series of measures that will regulate development at sea while ensuring enhanced protection of the marine environment.

Our territorial waters and the seabed beneath our territorial waters are of critical importance to this country. They are central parts of our jurisdiction and economic potential. etc. Ireland is ideally located to benefit from our natural marine renewable energy resources generated in the Atlantic Ocean. Ireland possesses one of the richest wave and tidal energy climates in the world. The wave energy resources available to Ireland could meet 75% of the Republic's electricity needs. Wave energy or wave power are the transport and capture of energy by ocean surface waves. The energy captured is then used for all different useful work, including electricity generation, water desalination and the pumping of water. Wave energy is also a type of renewable energy and it is the largest estimated global resource form of ocean energy. There is significant potential in wave energy. While we discussing technical legislation, I exhort the Minister of State to bring away from this House the view that we should grasp the opportunities presented by wave energy as a priority.

The fishing industry in Ireland represents an important economic activity, generating national income and providing local employment. The industry contributes approximately €700 million per year to the national income and provides 11,000 jobs. The main areas in Ireland's fishing industry include commercial fishing, processing, marketing, and fish farming. Bord Iascaigh Mhara is Ireland's national fishing body. As the high demand for fish and fish products has put considerable strain on the world's supply, it is important that we consolidate our fishing zones and areas and that we support and keep our fishing industry working to its maximum potential. It is of significant economic value to the country.We need to maintain that aspect. We have great maritime riches in this country in the form of geothermal and wave energy, and the resultant potential to allow us to decarbonise and meet our commitments by creating green energy, as well as major resources in our fishing sector. Therefore, it is important to encourage these sectors and to demarcate, consolidate and delineate in this Bill our maritime territory and seabed and the associated resources. We must enshrine those aspects in this legislation and defend them internationally. In that regard, it is important that we consolidate past legislation by introducing an omnibus Bill to achieve that goal in respect of all existing legislation. We must do that to ensure that these vital resources for the economy of our country are kept within our grasp, potential for use and activation at all times, and that neatly brings me to the end of my six minutes.